As anyone who has been there will tell you, a visit to the Armed Forces Memorial at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire is a humbling and evocative experience. It has the names of all those servicemen and servicewomen who have been killed on duty or as a result of terrorism since the end of the Second World War. There are over 16,000 of them; and last Saturday another 66 were added to that long list of heroism and sacrifice. As in the past, so in the present, the members of our Armed Forces pay a heavy price for our security and freedom.
We must never forget this.

But we should also remember that it is not only regular service personnel who protect that security and who make those sacrifices. Seven of the new names on the memorial are those of Reservists. Of the more than 170,000 UK military who served in Iraq from 2003 to 2009, some 17,000 were Reservists. And Reservists continue to serve today on the frontline in Afghanistan. They work alongside their regular counterparts and constantly demonstrate their professionalism, their dedication and their courage in the most testing of circumstances. They are an integral and essential part of our total force structure: we simply could not succeed in what we are asked to do without them.

As Chief of the Defence Staff I am acutely aware of the importance of our Reservists, and I am immensely proud of the contribution they make. But I am also very conscious that none of this would be possible without the support of their families and of their civilian employers: I am enormously grateful to them too. And with them very much in mind, I am delighted that thousands of Reservists across the country will take part in the first annual ‘Reserves Uniform to Work Day’ on Friday.

It follows the success of a similar event held to mark the Territorial Army’s 100th anniversary last year. From branch managers to telephone engineers, and in workplaces as varied as schools, factories, post offices and science laboratories, Reservists from all three Services and all walks of life will be able, quite rightly, to show their pride in their uniform.

While many employers appreciate the valuable skills and experience service with the Reserve Forces can provide, I recognise that employing a Reservist is not without its difficulties and challenges.

As a country, we are extremely fortunate to have so many employers who are willing to accommodate the demands and challenges that go with a Reservist commitment, enabling people to balance their civilian careers with their desire to serve their country in our Armed Forces.

We are indebted to all those who serve as Reservists, and to their employers who make such a commitment possible.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup
Chief of the Defence Staff